Transforming Film Genres, Feb. 25, 2016
For this week's wiki post, I would like you to answer the following question in approximately 150-200 words. Please place your post here and bring a copy with you to tutorial. Question: According to Deleyto, what do many genre critics assume about film genres AND how does Deleyto disagree with them? --------------- Salvatore Basilone Deleyto argues that film genres cannot be strictly defined, rather they are always in flux and any given film can present an overlap of different ‘genres.’ As an example, he looks at the film Rio Bravo; although this film does seem to contain some significant (it takes place in the old west, the presence of cowboys, lawmen and gunfights, as well as the actors John Wayne and Walter Brennan. But it also lacks certain significant Western convention, such the theme of conquering the frontier, the wide-open vistas of the Western landscape. Rio Bravo also seems to contain many conventions of a romantic comedy, exemplified in the romance between Sheriff Chance and Feathers. Deleyto says that we should understand film genres as “social and historical chains,” a changing set of parameters to which the culture at large is constantly adding new links. No given film will fit a strictly fit into single genre, but rather in any film the conventions of multiple genres will play off each other. -------------------------------------- Maxwell Koyama In his article “Film Genres At The Crossroads”, Deleyto reiterates claims about of genre made by James Naremore and George Lankoff, describing genres as “social and historical chains rather than groups of films”, relating their theories to Ludwig Wittgenstein’s objections to totally categorical analyses of individual objects and the groupings in which they are contained. (220) Wittgenstein prefers a more intuitionistic approach to logic, in which categories (such as film genres) are determined based on a complex net of scattered commonalities and abstract connections, rather than by a set of universal qualities. In cinema, this implies definitions of individual genres that are much broader than is typically assumed, and that are virtually free of “exceptions”: the notion that a film can broadly resemble a genre and yet can in definition be excluded from that genre being something to which Deleyto objects. Howard Hawks’ Rio Bravo ''is mentioned by Deleyto as an example of a film that appears initially to be a “western”, but is considered to be an exception to the definition of a “western” by many critics, since the flim by and large deviates from the western’s standard– and perhaps ''former– definition. Deleyto does not think this is fair: even though Rio Bravo ''is vastly different from the westerns of previous decades, it could still be placed at some point within the web of interconnections that make up the genre, even if, hypothetically, there could be absolutely no ''direct connections made to any totally orthodox western films. Therefore, Deleyto concludes, genres need not be defined by a set of universal qualities shared by every one of its constituents in order to be contiguous and real. -------------------------------------- Abby Keith Deleyto criticizes critics who believe that genre is a certain grouping of traits that movies share, simply because there are so many factors that make it impossible to fit any film in just one box. This is especially an issue when genre mixing come up, and it becomes hard to find a film that is not a mix of multiple genres. Another issue is the fact that genre is always changing due to many factors: overall social views, the individual directors, and cultural differences. The critics Deleyto highlights view genre as a chaotic, ever-changing system rather than made up of rigid categories, something that is “transgeneric”. They should be looked at like social and historical chains. This approach makes establishing boundaries unnecessary. Deleyto suggests focusing less on whether the genre is a perfect fit or whether it is “pure” or not. Critics should focus on how the elements work within the film. Deleyto also believes genre mixing is something that is inherent and unavoidable in genre. Genre does not have a set list of traits or requirements that can be universally agreed upon, but that does not make it a useless categorization. It should be treated as a baseline that is complex and ever-changing. -------------------------------------- Francisco Kim Deleyto states that most critics see genres as categories in which the films 'constitute part of the canon of that genre.' Even films that can fit into multiple genres, or seek to subvert or parody a genre are still defined as being part of that/those genres. Genres are defined by films; their shared conventions contribute to define the genre in which they belong. This is a 'linear approach' of defining genres, a 'simple, predictable way' in which genres can be investigated. However, Deleyto believes that genres are defined more by 'social and historical chains rather than as groups of films' to James Naremore. Genres are a chain which 'constantly acquire new links,' and thus 'genre boundaries are never fixed' and 'constantly in flux.' Perhaps the most important distinction between the two views of genre is the consideration for external factors outside of what we see in see in the movie itself; the intentions of the creators or the social and political influences surrounding the film. This method would seek to place films like Rio Bravo apart from the Westerns that it seeks to subvert, whereas the linear method would do the opposite; simply because it 'looks' Western. -------------------------------------- Tua Hytönen In the article “Film Genres at the Crossroads”, Deleyto discusses film genres and how they interconnect with each other, sometimes overlapping in ways so it is hard to define what genre a film truly “belongs” to. Deleyto discusses what some critics have assumed about film genres. One thing that has been assumed, is how genres are film groups which share series of conventions. This means that films will belong to specific genres - the history of a certain genre will, in this sense, become a part of the canon for the genre it is representing. Deleyto disagrees with this assumption in the way, that if a film were to specifically belong to one, and only one genre, the mixing of genres wouldn’t be possible. This is discussed broadly when thinking of the ‘Western’, Rio Bravo - a film that differed greatly from another Western we watched in class, Stagecoach. Rio Bravo combines much more of bits and pieces from other genres, as it can also be read as a romantic comedy among combinations of other genres. This is why Deleyto doesn’t agree with the assumption of films simply belonging to one specific genre. -------------------------------------- Yao Chen Deleyto states in the article “Film Genres At The Crossroad” that many genre critics define film genres as a series of conventions that a group of film have in common. The critics view genres as a system characterized by unpredictability due to the idea that genres are often mixing and that the the boundaries between genres are always changing trangressively. Deleyto argues that instead of being concerned with the issue of belonging and generic purity or impurity of genres, critics should instead be defining genres based on the social and culture history effecting films at different moments of history. Deleyto also believes that genres are flexible in the sense that the properties defining a genre are not fixed so that changes are not particularly transgressive but simply part of the nature of genres. -------------------------------------- Xinyi Wang (Victoria) Some critics always claim that film genre is clearly defined or separated. However, Deleyto disagrees with this by stating the idea of transforming genre. He believes film is an art and genre is just one way to see it. Why are genres flexible? Because we will hold different points if we see from different angles. ' The boundary of genres are transforming ' , according to what he said. When we think of ' western ', the film comes to our mind might be Stagecoach. The elements and characters and even plot are created precisely due to the standards. This week, however, we watched Rio Bravo. We have to admit that this one is greatly different from the Stagecoach, but we can also say that this is a western movie. Even though we can not tell exactly where the boundary is, we still believe this is a mixture and transformation of film genre. That is the way how Deleyto disagrees with common critics: the genre is not fixed. Culture, social environment, POVs, and even the history background will greatly influence the genre. -------------------------------------- Christine Cameron In Film Genres at the Crossroads, Deleyto discusses how many genre conventions in film are shared between the genres, and that it is difficult to place a film in any one specific genre category because of this. An example used is Rio Bravo (1959) where the film is comprised of multiple genre criteria (western & romantic comedy) but since the film is set in the wild west and the protagonist (John Wayne) is renowned for western films, some critics see this film as more of a western than romantic comedy. Deleyto argues against this by explaining that genres are socially and historically driven; one can’t simply place a film into a specific film category because as more films are being made, that genre’s typical conventions shift constantly. This can be from a variety of factors: cultural influence, the unique effects of different filmmakers, and the social and political significance of the film. It is impossible to categorize a film into only one genre because since some genres share typical conventions, genre “mixing” is inevitable; it is a more efficient way of describing the film’s general aspects to potential viewers. -------------------------------------- Hunter Scharfe In his article titled “Film Genres at the Crossroads” Deleyto criticizes genre critics’ assumption that films genres a grouping of simplified similarities that films may have in common. By making this assumption, they also believe that films must be put into a single genre without mixing, strictly based on the identified similarities in the films. Deleyto explains that he believes that this is a “simple and predictable way” and a “linear approach” to describing the relationship between films and genres. Deleyto has a completely different opinion about film genre in that he claims they are “social and historical chains rather than a group of films” linked by simple correlations into a single genre. Deleyto uses the metaphor of a chain to describe that genres are constantly adding new links, meaning they continue to grow and change. He argues that instead of putting so much focus on perfectly categorizing certain film, the focus should be put on the true elements of the films and how they are naturally meant to mix and collaborate in different genres. Fitting a film to a genre is not meant to be like fitting a puzzle piece into a perfect mold; rather, the set of definitions for genres are meant to be treated as a starting pointing for defining films and their relationships with genres. -------------------------------------- Abigayle King From the reading, Film Genres at the Crossroads: What Genres and Films Do to Each Other, ''Deleyto states that critics have become comfortable with the conventions of two or more genres coming together or crossing within one film, therefore creating what he calls generically mixed films. However, Deleyto states right out, that these films critics are talking about are simple exceptions to the genre system. Later on in the text, Deleyto expresses that critics assume that genre’s have a set of stable, established terms. However, he feels that genre is a dynamic system that is accustomed to ongoing change. Nearing the end of the text Deleyto states that he believes generic analyses should “concern itself less with issues of belonging and generic purity, and more with the actual workings of generic elements in film.” He goes on to express that the critics’ believe that films are subverting the genres when in fact it is actually new forms and the changing systems of a genre. -------------------------------------- Jessica Rapson According to Deleyto, there is no need for genres to be defined by universal sets of conventions. Instead, genre can encompass a wider range of films that do not conform to every supposed aspect of that genre. For example, Howard Hawke’s ''Rio Bravo initially appears to be a ‘western’. However, to many critics it is considered to be an exception to the genre, as the film diverges from the traditional definition of a ‘western’. Deleyto dismisses this claim and argues that although Rio Bravo ''differs from previous established westerns, it still shares some elements of the ‘western’ genre. Essentially, according to Deleyto, there are so many factors that contribute to the definition of a genre that it is virtually impossible to categorize all films into respective, individual categories. In fact, most films generally fit into multiple genres and — to further complicate matters — the definition of genre is constantly changing, thus making the genre system unstable and mutable. To resolve the issue of defining a film’s genre, Deleyto implores critics focus more on how the specific elements in a film relate to that specific film and focus less on where that film fits within a constructed and precarious system of futile categorization. -------------------------------------- Jordan Yang Many genre critics consider genre as a ”belonging” issue, most film studies have traditionally regarded genres as fixed categories in which individual texts are neatly categorized in each of them. Deleyto replaces the idea of “belonging” to “participation”, his theory argues that a text cannot belong to no genre or there is no genreless text. However, such participation never amounts to ''belonging. He concludes that films do not belong to genres but they are also not fully independent from them. It is because films do participate in genres one way or another, the genres are interconnected sometimes overlapping. Deleyto concludes: “generic analysis should, therefore, concern itself less with the issues of belonging and generic purity and more with the actual workings of generic elements in films.” Genre mixing, hence, should be the rule rather than the exception in film genres. -------------------------------------- Ana María Higuera Tirado According to Deleyto, what do many genre critics assume about film genres AND how does Deleyto disagree with them? Deleyto's criticism of genre critics is based upon the latter's preliminary assumption that genre is a static categorical structure in which different films fit nicely into. Daleyto sees this perspective as problematic, an inherent flaw in genre theory which essentially obscures the deepening of understandings about the relationship between films and genres, and furthermore, how they influence and transform each other; a much more interesting and meaningful scope of interest for Deleyto, which allows for a more realistic view of genre and its purpose rather than simply focusing on defining mutually exclusive spheres concerned with purity of genre and an erroneous simplification of the cultural world. Deleyto's essay then, "Film Genre's at a crossroads: what genres and films do to each other", works on arguing against this "purity of genre" debate by bringing to light the actual complexity of genre, posing its inherent unpredictability and thus transmutability at the centre of the argument, characteristics early scene present in all films. In other words, genres are more than groups of films with the same conventions but various and diverse resemblances and relations between one or more genres within one film, manifested and rooted within a certain historical context yet ever changing and self-conscious. Boundaries of genre are changing all the time, therefore almost impossible to delineate, films participate in genres but do not completely belong to them because they are always in a flux, whether if influenced by auteurism or larger external social forces. -------------------------------------- Crystal. Yi Film genre can be think as a continues changing shape that you can not define what exactly the shape is. It might change shapes by the effect of elements like style, structure, setting, narration, color etc… This supports from the article Film Genres At The Crossroad “Genres are not groups of films but, rather, abstract systems formed by elements taken from many films. The generic bag contains conventions, structures, and narrative patterns, but no films” (227-228). However , Deleyto disagree with it later on. In order to say this film categorized by which genre, he suggests that we can mixing or combining film convention elements to define the film’s participation in which area. This supports from the lecture notes “This approach to genre helps us make sense of a film like Rio Bravo, which, Deleyto argues, combines elements of screwball comedy with elements of the Western in order to produce a movie that responds to the historical moment in which it was produced.”